“Expanding greenspace, open space and affordable housing will also be the responsibility of the new office.

“I have appointed Paul Low, currently Associate Director General of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, as the GMQ’s Chief Executive Officer and his office will have the powers needed to deliver on its mandate.”

Ms Bligh said the immediate and urgent priorities of the Office of Growth Management include:

·Improvement of development approval processes in Queensland;

·Creation of delivery timetables for land supply, including greenfield sites;

·Accelerate development of infill sites and delivery of priority TOD precincts;

·Protect and improve liveability in our communities – for example by delivering more green space.

The Premier said the new Infrastructure Charges Taskforce would look at how local governments deliver infrastructure for new development in Queensland.

“It is clear that getting infrastructure charges right is a critical issue for housing affordability,” she said.

“I firmly believe developers should continue to contribute to the significant costs of infrastructure - but I acknowledge that charges need to both simpler and more certain.

“This issue has been a problem for too long. We need certainty and consistency and we are going to nail this once and for all.”

Ms Bligh said the new taskforce would comprise some of our state’s best and brightest minds:

·John Mulcahy – former CEO of Suncorp Metway and one of Australia's foremost businessmen

·Chris Freeman – former CEO of Mirvac with more than 20 years experience in finance, with a focus upon property development